Testing the Role of Associative Interference and Compound Cues in Sequence Memory

Abstract

A major question facing computational models of human memory concerns the storage and retrieval of sequentially processed information. Many current models assume a chaining of associations. According to this view, each item, or memory pattern, is associated with the preceding item in the sequence. In reproducing the sequence, each recalled item serves as a retrieval cue for the next item. A serious problem facing these chaining models is their susceptibility to associative interference. This paper presents a novel experimental method designed to assess the effects of associative interference in the retrieval of ordered lists of items. Experimental findings presented here suggest that subjects use multiple prior items, as well as context, to overcome the effects of associative interference in list recall.